1. How many people are coming? – To start, get an approximate count of how many people will be attending. You don’t want to get caught short with not enough food or chairs. Yes, some individuals will change their minds at the last moment. That said knowing about how many guests expect to show up is important.

2. How much food to make or order? – Whether you make the majority of food yourself or you have people bring dishes, how much food will you need? Once again, this is why you want to get a headcount beforehand. In some cases, it may even be easier to have the dinner party catered. By doing this, you save tons of time having to prepare foods in the kitchen.

3. Will you have all the utensils you need? – It can be both frustrating and embarrassing not to have all the utensils you need for the event. As an example, what if you are having a certain meat that can be hard to cut apart? Will the knives you have at home do the trick? You may very well want to look at industrial knife sharpening machines. These machines can sharpen your knives in no time at all. Instead of spending money on new knives, the right machine can preserve the life of the knife for years to come. Also make sure that you are not running short on forks and spoons. If doing an outdoor picnic, you might even decide to go with plastic utensils and paper plates and cups.

4. What is everyone drinking? – One of the challenges along with finding the right foods for a dinner party can be what everyone wants to drink. Decide early on if liquor will be accessible at the event. Unless it is a party for children only, chances are liquor will be flowing. Don’t forget to include sodas and other drinks such as bottled water and even coffee.

5. What are the intended hours? – Last, although you do not want to be too rigid when it comes to the hours for the party, give guests a general idea. If the dinner party starts around 6 p.m., you should be okay with some people coming in a little later due to work or traffic. You might even have a few come a little earlier to help you with any last-minute preparations. Although you likely do not have a curfew, let it be known that you plan to shut things down at some point at night. Otherwise, you could end up with some people there well into the evening.

Dinner parties give you the chance to not only enjoy food and drink, but also share times with others.

If a dinner party is on your upcoming calendar, be ready to start serving when the doorbell first rings.